


Route One

by desmercia



Category: Merlin (TV), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pokemon Fusion, Crack Treated Seriously, Gen, M/M, Pokemon Journey
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-17
Updated: 2019-01-18
Packaged: 2019-10-11 22:23:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,879
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17455400
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/desmercia/pseuds/desmercia
Summary: In a world of Pokémon, Arthur is lost. He doesn't know where he is physically, and he has absolutely no idea who he wants to be as a person. Luckily, Merlin is prepared to drag Arthur on an exciting journey filled with friendship, battles, and more Pokémon than Arthur is willing to deal with.





	1. One

**Author's Note:**

> This may be niche, but oh well. I had a lot of fun writing this a few years back and it would be a shame to not post some of it.
> 
> Fair warning, I'm probably going to keep this Gen 1 Mons only, just so I can keep up with what critters are meant to be running about.

Arthur had never been a fan of Pidgeys. They chirped too loudly and jumped about and were just generally very annoying and useless. Growing up in Everwick, a town known for it's very Normal and boring Pokémon, Arthur had met far too many Pidgeys (and their evil cousin, Spearow). He was sick of them. He was also sick of this forest. Far too many trees, and far too many Pidgeys inside said trees.

Arthur bowed his head to keep the sun out of his eyes. He'd forgotten his sunglasses. Even in the middle of a dense forest, the leaves parted way for harsh summer sunlight to drizzle down on the back of his neck.

_Should have brought sunscreen, too,_  Arthur griped to himself as his neck prickled with uncomfortable heat.

Hands stuffed into his pockets, he walked slowly, scuffing the forest floor with the heel of his brand new sneakers. Lumps of dirt skidded along the ground, and grass was flattened by his footsteps.

He had no idea where he was going. He'd become lost thirty-odd trees ago. That should probably worry him; this was a very large forest and he was alone.

_Oh well,_  Arthur reasoned,  _I've got supplies to last at least two weeks. I probably won't die._

Arthur snorted a humourless laugh and gave a particularly hard kick to a particularly large rock. Pain numbed his toes momentarily, and he watched as the rock rolled over the ground before hitting the base of a thick tree trunk with a loud clap.

The resounding sound bought a satisfied smirk to Arthur's face. The sudden rustle of leaves wiped the smirk away.

A flock of Pidgeys burst from the tree.

They rose skyward, leaves and twigs falling away to rain down on the ground. The birds let out a string of angry squawks and cries. Arthur raised his head and stared in shock as the Pidgeys twisted and soared, curving upside down and redirecting their flight straight down.

Straight down at Arthur.

Arthur had only a moment to think,  _Bloody typical,_ before the birds descended.

There must have been a dozen of them; young and angry little things with ruffled feathers and sharp eyes.

They came down on Arthur with outreached claws, latching onto whatever they could. They tugged at his jacket and nipped at his hair. Arthur threw his arms over his head to defend himself. Panic gripped him as he desperately tried to curl away from his attackers.

After a brief struggle, talons tore through his clothes and pinched his skin without mercy. Some of the Pidgeys batted their wings, perhaps trying to drag Arthur into the air. Had they been older and evolved into Pidgeotto, the birds would have made easy work of carrying Arthur away.

Arthur flung his arms and dislodged a few of the birds, with his arms free he grabbed at the lone PokéBall at his hip, hidden by his over-long jacket. He held it for a moment and froze.

Ever since Arthur received the little fire Pokémon, she had refused to leave her ball. In the rare moments that Arthur had seen her, Charmander had been a frightened creature. Releasing her now would only get Charmander hurt—or killed.

Baring his teeth in a growl, Arthur hooked the PokéBall back to his belt. He couldn't fight his way out; he had no choice but to run.

If Arthur thought he'd had been lost before, he was well and truly hopeless now. Turning and twisting in the Pidgeys grip had completely thrown him off track. Now was hardly the time to stop for directions. The first few steps were hard; fumbling and tripping against the Pidgeys dragging him back but soon Arthur found his footing and bolted.

The angered flock were persistent. They swooped low and followed Arthur, their bellies grazing the ground.

Arthur's legs ached, his arms stung, and his vision was blurred. His thoughts were racing in a manic tumble. His foot caught on a root and he fell, landing on his hands and knees. The pain shot up his limbs and he could hardly breathe.

A flurry of shrieks and the flapping of too many wings told Arthur he was doomed. He crawled forwards, almost blindly, until—

"Bulbasaur, go!" An unfamiliar voice shouted. Arthur heard a popping sound and the raining static of a Pokémon being released.

It landed somewhere to Arthur's left. It made a low rasping sound.

"Tackle, now!" The voice was closer, and quick footsteps rushed passed.

Arthur let himself collapse and rolled onto his back, pulling himself up to lean against a tree. He quickly scrubbed his burning eyes with the back of his hand, blinking spots from his vision.

A boy stood with his back to Arthur, while his Pokémon—a green Bulbasaur—battled Arthur's attackers.

"Use growl!"

The Bulbasaur braced itself and bared its fangs, before roaring at the flock of Pidgeys. They fluttered back. One of the Pidgeys tried to tackle the creature.

"Dodge the attack and tackle!" The Pokémon obeyed; dodging to the left and turning on its heel to strike against the Pidgeys side and wing.

The Pidgey skidded across the ground. It raised itself weakly before going limp.

While the Pidgeys were angry, they were also cowards and faced by a real threat—in this case, a viscous grass-type—the Pidgeys gave up the fight. Arthur and this new trainer watched as one by one the Pidgeys darted back through the leaves and into the sky, still voicing their anger.

The Bulbasaur, panting, bounded back to its trainer's feet. It plopped itself down and glared at Arthur, eyes narrowed. The creature bared its fangs and growled.

Its trainer turned and watched Arthur for a bit, before scowling and crossing his arms.

"No  _thank you_?" He asked lightly.

Arthur glanced away from the bristling Bulbasaur to stare at the trainer. The boy had a mocking smile on his face.

Arthur gaped for a moment, still trying to catch his breath.

"Excuse me?" Arthur said at last. His voice sounded hoarse and there was dirt on his tongue. "I was going to thank you, but if you're going to be so demanding then I won't."

"It's only polite." The trainer grinned. "After all, you are the one who needed saving from a Pidgey."

"Hey! There were heaps of them! And they were mad!" Arthur could feel his face heating with shame and anger. He glared at the stranger.

"So? Just use your Pokémon."

Arthur had to pause there. He couldn't have used Charmander; she would have been torn apart. He kept his eyes steady and managed to bite out the lie, "I don't have any."

The trainer put his hands on his hips, he looked at Arthur as if he were stupid. "What're you doing out here then? It's dangerous."

Arthur hesitated.

The guy frowned, eyeing Arthur up and down. "You're not like, a criminal, are you? 'Cause my mum said I'm not to talk to any of them."

"No! I am not a bloody criminal! I just... I just forgot."

The boy crossed his arms and frowned, clearly not impressed with Arthur's excuses.

"You're not a trainer, then, so, what are you?"

Arthur couldn't find the words to answer. His eyes flicked away from the trainer's and his heart beat faster. He took a deep breath, stuttered a bit and then just shrugged. The trainer's frown deepened, and a look of concern came to his bright eyes.

"I... I'm not sure..." Arthur managed to choke out. "Yet."

"That's okay. Plenty of people don't know what they wanna be."

The boy sounded just like Arthur's nanny used to; with the knee-jerk-assurances that did nothing to calm Arthur's nerves. Arthur just nodded and cleared his throat, shifting uncomfortably.

The trainer paused for a bit, looking as awkward as Arthur felt. Finally, he strode forward. He held out a gloved hand.

"I'm Merlin."

Arthur grasped Merlin's hand and allowed himself to be hauled to his feet. "Arthur."

Merlin looked a bit sheepish and said, "I suppose, I should probably stop being a jerk and ask if you're okay."

_No kidding,_  Arthur wanted to say, but he bit his tongue and bobbed his head.

"Are you okay?" This Merlin repeated, leaning forward to inspect Arthur himself.

Arthur nodded. His arms stung, and there were small holes all over his jacket sleeves. "Just scratches."

Merlin nodded again, but his eyes flickered over Arthur's arms with a frown. Arthur took Merlin's moment of distraction to observe him.

He was a tall, lanky thing with the standard outfit of a trainer: running shoes, slim-fit pants, PokéBall belt (that only held one ball), and a shirt. The only unusual thing about his clothes was the bandanna tied loosely at the base of his throat. It was bright red and frayed along the edges.

As Arthur's eyes came to Merlin's face, he realised that Merlin was watching him in return. His eyes were blue, although much darker than Arthur's, and yet somehow they still seemed bright. He was much paler than Arthur was, with sharp cheekbones, a rounded jawline, and a straight nose. His ears, Arthur noted, were ridiculously large, and his dark hair curled around them protectively.

Merlin was, simply put, a tall, pale boy with huge ears and messy hair.

"So, where are you headed, Arthur?" Merlin tilted his head, presumably finished with evaluating Arthur's appearance.

"Uhm, not sure. Not Everwick. I'm leaving there."

"I just passed through Everwick, I'm going to Wenham Town now, it's a week or so along Route 1, if we take it slow. Wanna come with?"

"With you?"

"No, with a flock of Pidgeys. Yes, me." Merlin gestured to himself with a wave of his arm and a grin. The smile wavered a bit and he continued, "Unless you don't want to."

"I don't want to be a bother."

"You won't!" Merlin's grin returned. "The last few weeks has just been me and my boy, Bulbasaur. I'm getting pretty lonely. I've started talking to trees."

Bulbasaur made a scratchy croaking noise and nodded, as if to say,  _He really has._

Merlin slung an arm over Arthur's shoulder. Arthur wasn't sure how he felt about that, but he allowed Merlin to lead him down the road. Quietly, Arthur hoped Merlin knew which way he was going.

"Besides, if I leave you on your own, who knows how long it'll be until you anger more Pidgeys," Merlin prattled on.

"Will you please drop the Pidgeys?" Arthur sighed.

Merlin's grin was unabashedly wide. "Never."

And so Arthur found himself joined by the enthusiastic Trainer Merlin and his grumpy Bulbasaur.


	2. Two

Merlin may have saved Arthur from Pidgeys, but Arthur was going to save Merlin from himself.

The man couldn't cook (he had set fire to rice.  _Rice_.), or feed his Pokémon properly, or dress properly (Arthur couldn't believe that an eighteen year old man could somehow put his shoes on the wrong feet). He couldn't even use a PokéDex! Simply put, he was the worst Pokémon trainer Arthur had ever met.

"You mean you haven't even used the PokéDex on your own Pokémon? Or any other one you've seen?" Arthur scowled.

Merlin looked a little sheepish. He offered a small smile and a shrug. "It slipped my mind?"

"You are rubbish. Absolutely." Arthur grabbed at Merlin's PokéDex (which was haphazardly left lying on the ground, mere inches from a fire) and flipped it open. He raised the machine to face Bulbasaur. The Pokémon was currently circling their camp, as if prowling an invisible border. He paused, staring at Arthur with disdain.

As the PokéDex's camera caught sight of Bulbasaur, an image appeared on the screen facing Arthur. There was another Bulbasaur, much like Merlin's one, sitting, staring off to the side.

Bulbasaur was a small and stocky Pokémon, with a thick body and short legs that ended with three sharp claws on each foot. Bulbasaur's skin was a light watery-green, with darker spots. A large rectangular spot on its forehead, with two smaller ones underneath it, and a few of the round-edged rectangle shaped markings on its side and legs. The grass Pokémon's face was round and wide, with two pointed ears perched at the top-side of its head. Bulbasaur's eyes were sharp and wide, with angry red irises. Its mouth was set in a long grim line. If the Bulbasaur were to open its mouth, there would be two sharp fangs pointing down from each corner of its mouth.

The main feature on the Bulbasaur was its namesake; the large bulb on its back. Starting at the base of its skull, stretching out over its side, and finishing at its tailbone, was a curved seed wrapped in thick leaves. It was green, much the the rest of the Pokémon, but brighter. Arthur knew that inside the bulb was a flower, growing and waiting to bloom with Bulbasaur's evolution.

A robotic voice, clipped and distorted by static, began to speak:

> **Bulbasaur. A Grass and Poison Type Pokémon.**
> 
> **For some time after its birth, it grows by gaining nourishment from the seed on its back.**

"Now, he gets nourishment from stealing all of my food," Merlin scoffed, aiming a halfhearted glare at his Pokémon. Bulbasaur grinned back, quirking the corners of its mouth and showing off its fangs. The Pokémon walked over to Merlin and clambered onto his lap, settling himself down for a snooze.

"Come on, then, bring out your other Pokémon and we'll get them on this thing," Arthur waved the PokéDex.

"Uh, well..."

"You've been travelling for a month and you still haven't caught any Pokémon? Are you stupid?" Arthur cried over their campfire.

Merlin shrugged and continued to stroke Bulbasaur's nose. The Pokémon began snoring loudly.

"The only Pokémon I've seen so far are Caterpie, Pidgey and Weedle. I don't want those ones! Besides," Merlin sniffed, "I've been training Bulbasaur. He's gotten a lot stronger than before!"

"Where are you even from?"

"Ealdor. It's a really small farming village, south a bit from Everwick. I've been travelling through the Darkling Woods. Did you know that it's the biggest forest in all of Albion? My mum said that—"

Arthur sighed, shaking his head in mild despair and he leaned back against the tree, tilting his head to gaze up at the slivers of night sky showing through the leaves. The moon was almost full tonight, and the light gave the forest a silver, ghostly hue. The leaves were almost glowing. He listened as Merlin prattled on excitedly, talking about the thousands of different trees and flowers in the forest.

Arthur sighed, shaking his head in mild despair. He leaned back against the tree, tilting his face up to admire the twinkling sliver of stars peeking through the leaves. The moon was almost full and silver light gave the forest a ghostly look. The leaves were almost flowing.

Arthur listened with one ear to Merlin's excited prattling. He talked about trees and flowers with an enthusiasm Arthur couldn't fathom—

"Darkling Woods goes all the way from Ealdor on Route 1 to Route 3! There's a city—uh, Camelot, it's called. And it's right in the middle of the Darkling Woods! Completely surrounded, can you believe it? There are so many plants that you won't find anywhere else—and Pokémon! I know a lot about them too! My mum has a farm so we have lots of crops, and we even grow berries! I found Oran Berries yesterday. D'you wanna see them?"

Arthur nodded idly and turned his head to watch Merlin try to rummage through his bag without disturbing the Pokémon in his lap. He had his tongue sticking out between his lips and a small, concentrating frown on his brow.

"Ah! Here!" Merlin held out his hand, and a couple of small blue berries rolled in the palm of his hand. Arthur studied them briefly.

"What do they do?"

"They can heal Pokémon and make them feel a little better." Merlin closed his hand a put the berries away. "I'm saving them for a battle in case Bulbasaur needs them."

"Smart," Arthur murmured, stifling a yawn. He closed his eyes. The ground was hard and bitterly cold, and the bark against his back and head was almost painfully uncomfortably, but sleep was closing in on him and his body was too weary to fight against it.

Arthur could hear Merlin's soft laughter and he listened as Merlin moved, Bulbasaur protesting sleepily.

"Night, Arthur."

Arthur hummed in reply, feeling himself growing more and more tired.

◓

"You shouldn't have let me sleep like that," Arthur griped as he blinked himself awake. He rubbed a hand against the twinging pain in his neck. His back was tense and his legs tingled.

Merlin stretched. "You seemed comfy enough. Besides, the ground wasn't much better."

Arthur drew his legs up and rested his head against his knees. "I miss my bed," He mumbled.

"Go home, then." Merlin had meant it teasingly, Arthur knew that. But he felt a flare of anger.

"Never." He snapped.

Merlin raised a brow and stared for a bit. Bulbasaur nudged his head against Merlin's calf. Merlin tore his eyes away from Arthur and pet the Pokémon. Arthur watched as Merlin leaned forward and placed a kiss to Bulbasaur's forehead, murmuring quietly to his companion. Bulbasaur—for all his angry growls and glares—seemed happy enough with Merlin's affection. He closed his eyes and Arthur could've sworn the Pokémon's mouth curled into a smile.

Arthur looked away, face burning, and blinked the itch away from his eyes.

"Hungry, buddy?" Merlin said softly. Bulbasaur nodded and waddled off to Merlin's bag. He dug his snout into the open bag, and withdrew a pouch of PokéFood caught in his mouth. Bulbasaur lifted it and trotted back to Merlin, placing the food at his feet.

"We're not too far away from Wenham Town, maybe another few days." Merlin commented, as he opened the bag and picked up a few pieces. "I think my food will only just last us until then."

Arthur wasn't sure if Merlin was talking to him, but he nodded into his arm anyway.

Merlin carefully held a cube of food between his fingers, offering it to Bulbasaur. The Pokémon took it gently, angling his head and nipping at the brown PokéFood. He nibbled at it, a few crumbs falling away from his mouth, and landing on the forest floor.

"I have plenty of food." Arthur offered, eventually. "A couple weeks worth."

Merlin grinned. "Awesome! We can take the scenic route then.

◓

The scenic route, Arthur learned, was just a longer version of the normal route. There were trees, and Pidgeys (Arthur made sure to glare at each and every one of them, much to Merlin's amusement) and even a couple of Caterpies (which Merlin tried desperately to get Arthur to catch because, "Can you imagine you with a Butterfree? I mean, you, the grumpiest person ever, with such a beautiful, happy Pokémon!").

Merlin's Bulbasaur remained out of his PokéBall, ambling along beside Merlin. The grass Pokémon refused to look at Arthur, while Arthur could barely bring himself to look away.

He'd seen a Bulbasaur once, when he chose his Charmander, but it was nothing like Merlin's grouchy one. The Bulbasaur at Professor Geoffrey's Lab had been eager for attention. It had sat and stared up at Arthur with bright eyes. It had even held out a small paw for Arthur to hold. He hadn't. Instead, with his father's hand heavy on his shoulder, Arthur turned away from the happy Pokémon and picked up Charmander's PokéBall.

He regretted that now. Arthur felt guilty for that. He hadn't known Charmander would be such a timid thing, always curling in on herself and shying away from everyone.

When Arthur first released her, she had squealed loudly and drawn her tail up to her chest, the flickering flame on the tip brushing harmlessly against her cheek. Her eyes had been wide and flickered endlessly between Arthur and his father.

His father had snorted, and clapped a hand on Arthur's shoulder. "Not to worry, son. You'll train the fear out of her."

While his father was speaking with Professor Geoffrey, Arthur had knelt down before his Pokémon and extended a hand. Charmander had glanced at it and scuffled backwards, falling over herself and landing on her back. With a panicked cry, she'd squirmed and twisted herself into a painful position.

Arthur had reached out to try and set her on her feet again. In her terror, Charmander had misjudged his intent and flicked her tail at him, singing the tips of Arthur's fingers.

After that Charmander had refused to leave her PokéBall, and eventually Arthur gave up trying to persuade her out of it, swallowed his pride and ventured into the Darkling Woods.

Fingers snapped in front of his face. Arthur startled.

Merlin was standing in front of him, staring closely.

"What's wrong with you?" Merlin said.

"Huh?"

"You've been standing there rubbing your fingers for like, five minutes. What the hell, Arthur?"

Arthur reeled back, and looked down at his fingers. The burns were healed now, and barely noticeable. He jammed his hands into his jacket pockets.

"Sod off, Merlin." He snapped.

Merlin rolled his eyes. "Some travelling partner you are."

"You're the one who asked me to go with you."

"Yeah, 'cause I felt bad for you." Merlin retorted, rolling his eyes.

Arthur watched as Merlin walked away. He grit his teeth and followed.

"I don't want your damn pity."

"It's hardly pity." Merlin said, shrugging his shoulders. "Just didn't want to see you eaten by Pidgeys, that's all."

"They wouldn't have eaten me,  _Mer_ lin." Arthur drawled. "Don't be stupid."

"Yeah, whatever. You still with me or what?"

"Dunno, depends on if you actually want me here."

Merlin snorted. "You're a prat, Arthur."

"Excuse me?!"

"You're an arrogant prat who is way too defensive." Merlin stated quite seriously. He turned, walking backwards as he stared at Arthur. "You need to loosen up."

Arthur opened his mouth to reply, but when no words came and Merlin started smirking, he shut his mouth tightly and settled for glaring.

Merlin laughed at him, and Arthur couldn't tell if it was genuine. Merlin watched him for a bit longer, looking curious and smug all at once and Arthur furiously wished for Merlin to trip over.

Unfortunately for Arthur, Merlin didn't trip. But he did turn around and get whacked in the face with a low hanging tree branch.

That startled a laugh out of Arthur, and he was sure Bulbasaur chortled sound was a laugh too.

The boys continued their hot—and—cold fight for the rest of the day and well into the night. Bulbasaur seemed to tire of the bickering and would wander off into bushes in search of food or other Pokémon to play with. He found none, and that night when they were wrapped up in blankets before the camp fire, Bulbasaur settled himself into Merlin's lap, and stared at Arthur.

When Arthur met his gaze, the Pokémon blinked slowly, once—twice—huffed quietly and went to sleep.

Arthur figured that was Bulbasaur's way of showing his approval. Of what he approved, Arthur wasn't quite sure.


End file.
